Halloween Hop

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

MEET THE AUTHOR - Beth Trissel - "Somewhere My Lady"

I'm pleased to have Shenandoah Valley Author Beth Trissel on my blog with her novel, "Somewhere My Lady." In her own words, Beth is going to tell you about herself, her writing, and her passions.

I’m excited about getting back into writing time travels and set Somewhere My Lady in my home state of Virginia. I live on a farm in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley that’s been in my husband’s family for several generations, but the story unfolds in a manor house along the James River. A string of plantations were built along the James. The oldest and most impressive homes are from the seventeen hundreds. Harrison Hall, in Somewhere My Lady, is fashioned after Shirley Plantation, with elements of my father’s family home in the Shenandoah Valley, a beautiful brick house, circa 1816, called Chapel Hill.

I’m fascinated with the past and blend historical details with the time travel/fantasy elements of the story. I enjoy doing research and delving into different eras. Not only do I sometimes get plot ideas this way, but it helps me make the settings more believable. I want readers to feel as if they’ve stepped into another century. I feel that way when I’m writing. If I don’t have this sense, I go back and do more research. I also visit historic homes and sites, especially in Virginia and neighboring states. My favorite time period is colonial America. I’m also interested in the Civil War. My ancestors were here early on and fought in every war there was. One line goes back to Jamestown. Research into family genealogy is the original inspiration behind my writing.

Gardening is also a passion of mine. I love to grow herbs and heirlooms flowers with their rich connection to the past. I included a lovely garden in Somewhere My Lady, and incorporated herbs into the story. Can you smell the lavender and roses?

I must have the right music to write to, and can stall for hours finding it. I mostly choose instrumental movie/TV scores with poignant moving sounds. Music that transports me… Some haunting melodies are the sort that make you wonder ‘who else’ is in the house when no one’s there. I’m drawn to including ghosts in my stories, and cannot stay away from the paranormal. As I was writing Somewhere My Lady, ghostly figures appeared in the front hall for a dance. So yes, Somewhere My Lady is a ghostly, fantasy, time travel romance with a surprising mystery. The history is well researched. It’s what I do. I hope you will give the story a try.

"Somewhere My Lady is a fun supernatural romance that will have you

slipping in and out of the past and future as if you were a spirit yourself.’’

Blurb: Lorna Randolph is hired for the summer at Harrison Hall in Virginia, where Revolutionary-War reenactors provide guided tours of the elegant old home. She doesn't expect to receive a note and a kiss from the handsome young man who then vanishes into mist.

Harrison Hall itself has plans for Lorna – and for Hart Harrison, her momentary suitor and its 18th century heir. Past and present are bound by pledges of love, and modern science melds with old skills and history as Harrison Hall takes Lorna and Hart through time in a race to solve a mystery and save Hart's life before the Midsummer Ball.

Excerpt:
Something about him held her spellbound…the tilt of his head, arch of his brow, glimpse of his profile… She followed his every move with the fixity of an owl.

He turned blue-gray eyes toward her and sensuous lips curved into a smile on his handsome face. Hands down. No contest. He was the hottest guy ever. Her heart beat a thrilling new rhythm.

He circled closer to where she stood rooted in the foyer, not moving a toe, scarcely drawing breath. Did he truly see her backed tremulously against the wall, or did it only feel that way?

Unlike the others in the ghostly assembly, his eyes didn’t skirt past her. He paused in the dance. Bending at the shoulders, he tipped his hand to her in a genteel flourish.

He’d freakin’ bowed. Her jaw dropped. He most definitely saw her. And she sure as heck saw him.

A sparking sizzle jumped between them, awakening her as she’d never been roused before. Even more than when the house charged through her at her arrival. It was as if she were plugged in—to him.

How that could be, she had no idea, but when he gazed into her eyes, time seemed to stop. She spiraled into moonless stars, and back again to this dizzying realm. To him. Even if she were dreaming, she’d never forget this moment.~

Married to my high school sweetheart, I live on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia surrounded by my human family and furbabies. An avid gardener, my love of herbs and heirloom plants figures into my work. The rich history of Virginia, the Native Americans, and the people who journeyed here from far beyond her borders are at the heart of my inspiration. I’m especially drawn to colonial America and the drama of the American Revolution. And I love a good ghost story. In addition to Young Adult and New Adult fantasy romance, I also write historical, time travel, and paranormal romance, plus nonfiction.

~*~ MAILBOX ~*~

About Me

Welcome! I am a Pennsylvania writer and author of short stories and novels. My latest contemporary romance is FOUR WHITE ROSES. Please feel free to sign up for my newsletter. Comments are always welcome and appreciated.